Power Rankings

1. Jimmie Johnson (Last week: 2) — Another solid top-five finish helped Johnson open up a eye-opening lead in the standings. With a 37-point advantage, this could be a runaway soon.

2. Kasey Kahne (4) — After needing a wild card last year, Kahne is making sure he’s not in that position again. Second in the standings, he is showing much more consistency than last year and is becoming a regular threat to win.

3. Brad Keselowski (3) — Keselowski showed what his championship team is made of at Kansas, rallying for a sixth-place finish with a damaged car. He gained a spot in the standings and if he gets his 25-point penalty rescinded, he’ll be right back on Johnson’s heels.

4. Kyle Busch (1) — After a spectacular hot streak, which included two wins, the wheels finally came off for Busch. He wrecked twice and finished 38th at Kansas, costing him five spots in the standings. The good news: The next race is at Richmond, where he won last year and is usually the driver to beat.

5. Matt Kenseth (7) — Kenseth wanted oh so badly to say I told you so after winning his second race for Joe Gibbs Racing last week. But the ever-humble Kenseth simply went about his business and politely thanked his team. Get used to it; Kenseth is headed for a big season.

6. Clint Bowyer (8) — Bowyer wanted to win badly at his home track but he had to settle for a solid top-five finish. It should be about time for Bowyer to score a win.

7. Carl Edwards (6) — Edwards led 19 laps and was a contender to win when an untimely caution flag foiled him. He also lost the handle of his car late in the race, however, leading to a disappointing 17th-place finish at his home track.

8. Greg Biffle (5) — Kansas was expected to be one of Biffle’s beset chances to win. Instead, he struggled all day and finished 19th. Biffle still is fourth in points, but he admitted that his team and Roush Fenway Racing needs to step up.

9. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (9) — After a clean and solid start to the season, Earnhardt has had no luck the past three weeks. He was running third at Kansas when he, too, got bit by the untimely caution flag. He had a fast car but finished just 16th.

10. Paul Menard (13) — Menard now has four top-10 finishes and hung onto 10th in the standings. Is he really Richard Childress Racing’s best driver? So far he is.

17. Mark Martin (18) — Martin gave Michael Waltrip Racing three cars in the top 10 at Kansas. Can he keep it up until Brian Vickers returns?

18. Joey Logano (10) — After a couple of spectacular runs lately, Logano got collected in a crash at Kansas. It was a fitting end to an awful week after a 25-point penalty dropped him out of the top 10 in the standings. He’s now lost 11 spots in the past two weeks.

19. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (25) — Stenhouse had his best race of the season (11th) at Kansas, but it could have been much better. He led 26 laps and was in position to win until he got trapped on pit road by an untimely caution flag. Stenhouse rallied for a solid 11th-place finish and a ton of confidence.

20. Tony Stewart (19) — Stewart finished a lap down at Kansas and outside the top 20 for the fourth time in five races. What is up with the three-time champion? He’s still 21st in points and trying to be patient, but that’s not exactly his MO.

21. Kurt Busch (23) — Kansas could have been another disastrous race when he pitted early with a loose wheel and came close to losing his cool. But Busch rallied for a 15th-place finish, another testament to his impressive driving ability.

22. Marcos Ambrose (21) — A late spin and contact with Danica Patrick spoiled another day when he had a fast car.

23. Danica Patrick (22) — Patrick was running in the top 20 when everything went wrong. First, her car started to overheat, and then Ambrose nearly wrecked her. She also spent the day fuming over contact with David Gilliland. Like Stewart, her patience is running thin.

24. Brian Vickers (20) — A week after finishing eighth in his first fill-in role for Denny Hamlin, Vickers wrecked and finished 31st at Kansas. This is a high-profile tryout, so he needs to redeem himself at Richmond.

25. Jeff Burton (NR) — He was 18th at Kansas, but at least he finished. He’s keeping this spot warm until Denny Hamlin returns and Vickers returns to his part-time role.